Imprint apparatus, imprint method, and production method of article

Abstract

To provide an imprint apparatus capable of reducing defects that occur when imprinting the peripheral portion of a substrate.SOLUTION: In an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern by contacting a resin applied to a substrate with a mold having a pattern and hardening the resin, the imprint apparatus has a control unit that moves the mold to a next shot area such that a portion of the mold that faces the peripheral portion when the mold is used to imprint in the shot area on the periphery of the substrate faces more inward than the peripheral portion of the substrate when the next shot area is imprinted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus, an imprint method, a method for manufacturing an article, and the like.

Background Art

[0002] With the increasing demand for miniaturization of semiconductor devices, MEMS, etc., in addition to the conventional photolithography technology, a microfabrication technology that forms an imprint material on a substrate with a mold and forms a composition of the imprint material on the substrate has attracted attention. This technology is also called imprint technology and can form a fine structure on the order of several nanometers on the substrate.

[0003] Also, as one of the imprint technologies, there is a photocuring method. In an imprint apparatus adopting this photocuring method, first, a photocurable resin is applied to a shot region which is an imprint region on a substrate.

[0004] Then, while aligning the pattern portion of the mold (master) with the shot region, the mold and the resin applied to the substrate are brought into contact (imprinted) to fill the resin into the mold. Next, after irradiating light to cure the resin, the mold and the resin are separated (released), whereby the composition of the resin is formed on the substrate.

[0005] Also, in order to further improve productivity and obtain more patterns on the substrate, it is necessary to perform imprinting on the peripheral portion (missing shot region) of the substrate.

[0006] Also, in the imprint process using the imprint technology, similar to the photolithography process using light, it is generally performed to superpose a pattern to be newly formed on a pattern or structure pre-formed on the substrate. Therefore, the substrate may be warped or there may be a step in the peripheral portion of the substrate.

[0007] In addition, the structure of the substrate chuck that holds the substrate, or for example, the pressure of the vacuum exhaust used to hold the substrate, may also cause warping or local distortion. Therefore, the substrate in the imprint process using imprint technology is not always flat, and the influence is particularly significant with respect to the peripheral portion of the substrate.

[0008] Therefore, when imprinting the chipped shot area, the resin disposed near the outermost periphery may not come into complete contact with the mold during imprinting, and the resin may adhere to the mold. If the adhered resin remains in a cured state due to light irradiation, when imprinting the next shot area, the resin remaining on the mold will be transferred to the substrate and detected as a defect.

[0009] In addition, depending on the imprinting order (shot order), the resin adhered to the mold may be irradiated with light multiple times, thereby causing the resin adhered to the mold to be further cured, resulting in the occurrence of a large number of defects.

[0010] On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which, in an imprint method of applying resin to a plurality of regions at once and continuously performing imprinting, curing, and demolding, in order to improve the coating accuracy of the resin, the order of applying the resin, imprinting, curing, and demolding is changed.

[0011] That is, due to variations in the arrangement of the patterns and structures formed in advance on the substrate, the coating position of the resin with respect to each pattern may shift. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, the magnitude of the arrangement variation is classified, and the coating position of the resin is corrected for each classified region to reduce the shift in the coating position of the resin with respect to each pattern. It is described that the imprinting order is changed according to the arrangement variation of each pattern.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0012]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0013] However, although Patent Document 1 describes changing the imprint order according to the variation in the array pattern, it does not consider the imprint order and the like when imprinting the peripheral portion of the substrate.

[0014] Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide an imprint apparatus capable of reducing defects that occur when imprinting the peripheral portion of a substrate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0015] In an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern by bringing a resin applied to a substrate into contact with a mold having a pattern and curing the resin, when imprinting the shot area of the peripheral portion of the substrate with the mold, a control unit is provided that moves the mold to the next shot area so that the portion of the mold facing the peripheral portion faces the inside of the peripheral portion of the substrate when imprinting the next shot area.

Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imprint apparatus capable of reducing defects that occur when imprinting the peripheral portion of a substrate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In each figure, the same members or elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0019] <Embodiment 1> First, an imprint apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the imprint apparatus according to Embodiment 1. The imprint apparatus 100 is used for manufacturing devices such as semiconductor devices as articles, and is an apparatus that contacts an uncured resin applied on a substrate with a mold (hereinafter referred to as a mold) and cures and molds it to form a resin pattern on the substrate.

[0020] Here, an imprint apparatus adopting a photocuring method is used. Also, in the following figures, the Z-axis is taken parallel to the optical axis of the illumination system that irradiates ultraviolet rays on the resin on the substrate, and the X-axis and Y-axis perpendicular to each other are taken in a plane perpendicular to the Z-axis. The imprint apparatus 100 mainly includes a light irradiation unit 102, a mold holding mechanism 103, a substrate stage 104, a coating unit 105, and a control unit 106.

[0021] During the imprint process, the light irradiation unit 102 irradiates the mold 107 with ultraviolet light 108. The light irradiation unit 102 includes a light source and an illumination optical system that adjusts the ultraviolet light 108 emitted from this light source into light appropriate for imprinting and irradiates the mold 107.

[0022] The light source can employ lamps such as a mercury lamp, but is not particularly limited as long as it emits light having a wavelength that passes through the mold 107 and cures the resin (ultraviolet curable resin) 109 described later.

[0023] The illumination optical system may include a lens, a mirror, an aperture, or a shutter for switching between irradiation and light shielding. In this embodiment, the light irradiation unit 102 is installed to employ the photo-curing method. However, for example, when employing the thermal curing method, instead of this light irradiation unit 102, a heat source unit for curing the thermosetting resin is installed.

[0024] The outer peripheral shape of the mold 107 is polygonal (preferably rectangular or square), and the surface facing the substrate 110 includes a pattern portion 107a in which uneven patterns to be transferred, such as circuit patterns, are three-dimensionally formed. Note that the pattern size varies depending on the article to be manufactured, and even a pattern of a dozen or so nanometers is included in the fine ones.

[0025] Furthermore, the material of the mold 107 desirably allows the ultraviolet light 108 to pass through and has a low coefficient of thermal expansion. For example, quartz is used. Further, the mold 107 may have a cavity with a circular planar shape and a certain depth on the surface irradiated with the ultraviolet light 108.

[0026] The mold holding mechanism 103 includes a mold chuck 111 that holds the mold 107, a mold drive mechanism 112 that movably holds the mold chuck 111, and a magnification correction mechanism (not shown) that corrects the shape of the mold 107 (pattern portion 107a).

[0027] The mold chuck 111 can hold the mold 107 by attracting the outer peripheral region of the irradiation surface of the ultraviolet ray 108 in the mold 107 by vacuum adsorption force or electrostatic force. When the mold chuck 111 holds the mold 107 by vacuum adsorption force, for example, it is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) installed outside, and the adsorption pressure is appropriately adjusted by the exhaust of this vacuum pump, so that the adsorption force (holding force) on the mold 107 can be adjusted.

[0028] The mold driving mechanism 112 moves the mold 107 in each axial direction so as to selectively press or separate the mold 107 from the resin 109 on the substrate 110. As a power source of this mold driving mechanism 112, for example, a linear motor or an air cylinder is used.

[0029] In addition, the mold driving mechanism 112 may be composed of a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse movement drive system and a fine movement drive system in order to cope with the high-precision positioning of the mold 107. Further, the mold driving mechanism 112 may have a position adjustment function not only in the Z-axis direction but also in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction or θ (rotation around the Z-axis) direction, and a tilt function for correcting the inclination of the mold 107.

[0030] In addition, each operation of pressing and separating in the imprint apparatus 100 may be realized by moving the mold 107 in the Z-axis direction, or may be realized by moving the substrate stage 104 in the Z-axis direction, or both of them may be moved.

[0031] Further, the position of the mold 107 during the driving of the mold driving mechanism 112 can be measured by a position measuring unit (not shown) such as an optical displacement meter that measures the distance between the mold 107 and the substrate 110.

[0032] The magnification correction mechanism is installed on the holding side of the mold 107 in the mold chuck 111, and corrects the shape of the mold 107 (pattern portion 107a) by mechanically applying an external force or displacement to the side surface of the mold 107.

[0033] Furthermore, the mold chuck 111 and the mold drive mechanism 112 have an opening region 113 at the central portion (inner side) in the planar direction, through which the ultraviolet ray 108 irradiated from the light irradiation unit 102 can pass toward the substrate 110.

[0034] Here, the mold chuck 111 (or the mold drive mechanism 112) may include a light transmissive member (e.g., a glass plate) that forms a cavity surrounded by a part of the opening region 113 and the mold 107 as a sealed space.

[0035] In this case, the pressure inside the cavity is adjusted by a pressure adjusting device (not shown) including a vacuum pump or the like. This pressure adjusting device sets the pressure inside the cavity higher than the outside, for example, when the mold 107 and the resin 109 are pressed against each other.

[0036] Thereby, the pattern portion 107a is bent convexly toward the substrate 110, and can be brought into contact with the resin 109 from the central portion of the pattern portion 107a. As a result, the resin 109 can be filled into every corner of the concavo-convex pattern of the pattern portion 107a.

[0037] The substrate 110 is, for example, a single crystal silicon substrate, an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate, or a glass substrate. Before this substrate is carried into the imprint apparatus 100, a pattern formation region (hereinafter referred to as "substrate-side pattern") has already been formed on this substrate in a previous process (substrate treatment).

[0038] A pattern of the resin 109 (a layer including the pattern) is further formed on the plurality of pattern formation regions on this substrate 110 by the pattern portion 107a of the imprint apparatus.

[0039] The substrate stage 104 movably holds the substrate 110, and performs, for example, alignment between the pattern portion 107a and the substrate-side pattern when the mold 107 and the resin 109 on the substrate 110 are pressed against each other.

[0040] This substrate stage 104 includes a substrate chuck 114 that holds the substrate 110 by an adsorption force, an auxiliary member 115 installed so as to surround the outer periphery of the substrate 110, and a stage drive mechanism 116 that mechanically holds the substrate chuck 114 and is movable in each axial direction.

[0041] The substrate chuck 114 supports the substrate 110 with a plurality of pins having the same height, for example, and holds the substrate 110 by evacuating the portion other than the pins. The stage drive mechanism 116 is a power source with little vibration during driving and at rest, and uses, for example, a linear motor or a planar motor.

[0042] This stage drive mechanism 116 can also be composed of a plurality of drive systems such as a coarse drive system and a fine drive system for each of the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Furthermore, it may have a drive system for position adjustment in the Z-axis direction, a position adjustment function for the substrate 110 in the θ direction, or a tilt function for correcting the tilt of the substrate 110.

[0043] Also, the substrate stage 104 is provided with a plurality of reference mirrors 117 corresponding to each of the X, Y, Z, ωx, ωy, and ωz directions on its side surface. On the other hand, the imprint apparatus 100 includes a plurality of laser interferometers (position measurement mechanisms) 118 that measure the position of the substrate stage 104 by irradiating these reference mirrors 117 with beams such as helium-neon.

[0044] In addition, in FIG. 1, only one set of the reference mirror 117 and the laser interferometer 118 is illustrated as an example. The laser interferometer 118 measures the position of the substrate stage 104 in real time, and the control unit 106 described later executes positioning control of the substrate 110 (substrate stage 104) based on the measurement value at this time.

[0045] Also, the auxiliary member 115 has the same surface height as the substrate 110 placed on the substrate chuck 114, and is used, for example, to prevent gas from entering the optical path between the reference mirror 117 and the laser interferometer 118.

[0046] The coating unit 105 is installed near the mold holding mechanism 103, and applies a resin (uncured resin) 109 onto the shot area (substrate-side pattern) which is the pattern formation area existing on the substrate 110. This resin 109 is an ultraviolet curable resin (photo-curable resin, imprint material) having the property of curing by receiving ultraviolet rays 108, and is appropriately selected according to various conditions such as the semiconductor device manufacturing process.

[0047] This coating unit 105 adopts, for example, an inkjet method as the coating method, and includes a container 119 that houses the uncured resin 109 and a droplet discharge unit 120. The container 119 preferably enables management of the resin 109 while maintaining an atmosphere inside that does not cause a curing reaction of the resin 109, for example, an atmosphere containing a small amount of oxygen.

[0048] Also, the material of the container 119 is preferably such that it does not mix particles or chemical impurities into the resin 109. The droplet discharge unit 120 has, for example, a piezo-type discharge mechanism (inkjet head) including a plurality of discharge ports.

[0049] The coating amount (discharge amount) of the resin 109 can be adjusted in the range of 0.1 to 10 pL / drop, and usually, it is often used at about 1 pL / drop. Incidentally, the total coating amount of the resin 109 is determined by the density of the pattern portion 107a and the desired remaining film thickness. The coating unit 105 disperses and applies the resin 109 as droplets onto the shot area based on an operation command from the control unit 106, and controls the coating position, coating amount, etc.

[0050] The control unit 106 includes a CPU as a computer and a memory as a storage medium storing a computer program, etc., and can control the operations and adjustments of each component of the imprint device 100 according to the computer program.

[0051] The control unit 106 of the present embodiment controls at least the operations of the coating unit 105, the substrate stage 104, and a rotation mechanism (to be described later). Note that the control unit 106 may be configured integrally (within a common housing) with other parts of the imprint apparatus 100, or may be configured separately (within a separate housing) from other parts of the imprint apparatus 100.

[0052] Further, the imprint apparatus 100 includes an alignment measurement system 121 that measures alignment marks formed on the substrate 110. Further, the imprint apparatus 100 includes a surface plate 122 on which the substrate stage 104 is placed to form a reference plane, and a bridge surface plate 123 that fixes the mold holding mechanism 103.

[0053] The imprint apparatus 100 further includes a support column 125 that extends from the surface plate 122 and supports the bridge surface plate 123 via a vibration isolator 124 that removes vibrations from the floor surface.

[0054] Furthermore, the imprint apparatus 100 may include a mold transfer mechanism that transfers the mold 107 between the outside of the apparatus and the mold holding mechanism 103, a substrate transfer mechanism that transfers the substrate 110 between the outside of the apparatus and the substrate stage 104, and the like.

[0055] Next, an imprint method (imprint process) by the imprint apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an imprint process method. Note that the operations of each step of the flowchart in FIG. 2 are sequentially performed by a CPU or the like as a computer in the control unit 106 executing a computer program stored in a memory.

[0056] First, in step S101, the control unit 106 causes a substrate transfer device (not shown) to place and fix the substrate 110 on the substrate stage 104. Next, the control unit 106 drives the stage drive mechanism 116 to appropriately change the position of the substrate 110, and causes the alignment measurement system 121 to sequentially measure the alignment marks on the substrate 110, thereby detecting the position of the substrate 110 with high accuracy.

[0057] Then, the control unit 106 calculates each transfer coordinate from the detection result, and positions the application position (a specific position on the shot area) on the substrate 110 under the discharge port of the droplet discharge unit 120 by the stage drive mechanism 116. That is, the imprinting position is determined.

[0058] Thereafter, in step S102 (coating step), the coating unit 105 coats the resin 109 on the shot area determined in step S101 on the substrate 110. Next, in step S103 (pressing step), the control unit 106 moves and positions the substrate 110 by the stage drive mechanism 116 so that the shot area is located at the pressing position directly below the pattern unit 107a.

[0059] Furthermore, the control unit 106 performs alignment between the pattern unit 107a and the substrate-side pattern on the shot area and magnification correction of the pattern unit 107a by the magnification correction mechanism. Thereafter, the mold drive mechanism 112 is driven to press the pattern unit 107a against the resin 109 on the shot area.

[0060] By this pressing, the resin 109 is filled into the concavo-convex pattern of the pattern unit 107a. Note that the control unit 106 determines the completion of pressing by a load sensor (not shown) installed inside the mold holding mechanism 103.

[0061] Next, in step S104 (curing step), the light irradiation unit 102 irradiates ultraviolet rays 108 from the back surface (upper surface) of the mold 107 for a predetermined time as the curing step, and cures the resin 109 by the ultraviolet rays 108 transmitted through the mold 107. After the resin 109 is cured, in step S105 (demolding step), the control unit 106 re-drives the mold drive mechanism 112 to separate the pattern unit 107a from the substrate 110.

[0062] As a result, a resin pattern (layer) having a three-dimensional shape following the concavo-convex pattern of the pattern portion 107a is formed on the surface of the shot area on the substrate 110. By repeatedly performing such a series of imprint operations (imprint process) while changing the shot area by driving the substrate stage 104, the imprint apparatus 100 can form a plurality of resin patterns on a single substrate 110.

[0063] In addition, when the mold 107 is pressed against the resin 109 on the substrate 110 and the resin 109 is filled into the pattern portion 107a, if there are air bubbles (atmosphere) in the gap between the mold 107 and the substrate 110, unfilled defects will occur in the formed pattern after curing.

[0064] Therefore, the gap between the mold 107 and the substrate 110 is replaced with a gas having at least one of the properties of high solubility or high diffusibility with respect to the resin 109. Examples of such a gas having such properties include helium.

[0065] As a gas replacement method, the control unit 106 ejects helium from at least a gas supply port (not shown) disposed around the mold 107 to increase the helium concentration around the mold 107. Thus, by continuously ejecting for a certain period due to the diffusion effect of helium itself, the gap between the mold 107 and the substrate 110 can be replaced.

[0066] However, in such a gas replacement method, a certain waiting time is required until the helium concentration in the gap between the mold 107 and the substrate 110 sufficiently increases. This has an adverse effect on productivity, so it is necessary to shorten this waiting time as much as possible. For this reason, a gas replacement method using the flow of gas utilizing the driving of the substrate stage 104, that is, the so-called Coanda effect, is effective.

[0067] Next, the imprint apparatus and imprint method for imprinting the peripheral portion of the substrate 110 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a shot region for imprinting on a substrate, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining defects that occur when imprinting the peripheral portion of a substrate in a conventional imprint process.

[0068] In order to obtain more patterns on the substrate 110, it is necessary to also imprint the peripheral portion of the substrate. As shown in FIG. 3, the peripheral portion of the substrate becomes a shot region (referred to as a missing shot region 131) in which a part of the shot region is missing. Among the shot regions of the substrate, for example, a shot region 132 that is not a missing shot region is referred to as a non-missing shot region.

[0069] The substrate 110 is held, for example, by a substrate chuck 114 using vacuum suction. Therefore, due to the shape of the substrate chuck 114 and the pressure of vacuum suction, as shown in FIG. 4(A), the peripheral portion of the substrate 110 is bent.

[0070] In addition, since the substrate 110 to be subjected to the imprint process has undergone various pre-treatments (for example, patterning by photolithography using light), steps may occur in the peripheral portion of the substrate 110 as shown in FIG. 4(B).

[0071] Defects that occur when imprinting the missing shot region 131 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B). Step S201 shows the state of the mold 107 and the missing shot region 131 before the imprint process.

[0072] In the missing shot region 131, regions with bending and steps exist in the peripheral portion of the substrate. Next, in step S202, the resin 109 is applied to the missing shot region 131. Note that in step S202, only the resin 109 applied to the regions with bending and steps is shown.

[0073] In the stamping process of step S203, the resin 109 applied to the area with deflection or steps on the mold 107 comes into contact. At this time, as shown in step S204, if the contact between the mold 107 and the resin 109 is insufficient, the resin 109 may remain as a liquid on the mold 107.

[0074] In the subsequent curing process, the resin 109 remaining on the surface of the mold 107 cures to become the resin 109'. Note that depending on the atmosphere in the curing process, the remaining amount of the remaining resin 109' varies. That is, the resin 109 has the property of being difficult to cure due to oxygen inhibition under an air atmosphere. When there is oxygen in the curing atmosphere, the resin 109' volatilizes without fully curing.

[0075] On the other hand, in order to prevent pattern non-filling due to the generation of air bubbles, during imprinting, helium gas is blown around the mold to replace oxygen. Therefore, if helium is continuously blown, for example, until the curing process, the oxygen concentration in the curing atmosphere decreases, and the resin 109' becomes more likely to cure.

[0076] That is, when the oxygen concentration is low, the resin 109' cures more, the volatilization amount decreases, and it becomes more likely to remain on the surface of the mold 107. Therefore, the imprinting process of the next shot area is performed in a state where the cured resin 109' is likely to remain on the surface of the mold 107.

[0077] After imprinting the missing shot area 131, the state where the cured resin 109' remains on the surface of the mold 107 and the imprinting process of the next shot area is shown in steps S205 to S207. In step S205, the resin 109 is applied to the imprint area of the next shot area. At this time, the cured resin 109' remains on the mold 107.

[0078] In step S206, an imprinting process and a curing process are performed, and in step S207, a demolding process is performed. At this time, the resin 109' remaining in the mold 107 is incorporated into the resin 109 in the imprinting process of step S206, and as in step S207, it detaches from the mold 107 and remains in the resin 109.

[0079] Alternatively, there may be a case where it does not detach from the mold 107 and the resin 109' detaches from the resin 109. As a result, defects occur in the resin 109.

[0080] Also, depending on the imprinting order, defects due to the chipping shot area are likely to occur. FIGS. 5(A) to (C) are diagrams for explaining the imprinting order according to Embodiment 1, and with reference to FIGS. 5(A) and (B), defects due to the chipping shot area caused by the imprinting order will be described.

[0081] For example, for the case of an imprinting method in which, in order to improve productivity, the resin 109 is applied to a plurality of regions at once and then imprinting, curing, and demolding are performed continuously, an explanation will be given. FIG. 5(A) is a diagram showing an example of a conventional imprinting order.

[0082] The numbers described in each region of the substrate 110 correspond to the imprinting order, and are described only on the lower side of the substrate 110. In the case of FIG. 5(A), the shot regions 1, 2, and 3 are grouped as one group, and the resin 109 is applied at once. Thereafter, imprinting, curing, and demolding are sequentially performed on the shot region 1.

[0083] Subsequently, imprinting, curing, and demolding are also sequentially performed on the shot region 2, and then imprinting, curing, and demolding are also sequentially performed on the shot region 3. Next, the resin 109 is applied to the shot regions 4, 5, and 6, and the case where imprinting, curing, and demolding are sequentially repeated for each shot region as described above is shown.

[0084] For example, when imprinting shot region 6 which is a missing shot region, as described in FIGS. 4(A) and (B), resin 109' may remain on the surface of mold 107. And with resin 109' remaining on the surface of mold 107, the next missing shot region, shot region 7, will be imprinted.

[0085] FIG. 5(B) shows an example of overlapping the peripheral part of the substrate of shot region 6 and shot region 7. The dotted line indicates the peripheral part of the substrate of shot region 6, and the solid line indicates the peripheral part of the substrate of shot region 7. Resin 109' adheres to the surface of mold 107 along the peripheral part of the substrate of each shot region.

[0086] Among the resin 109' adhering to the surface of mold 107 in shot region 6, the resin 109' adhering in region 133 is present outside the imprint region of shot region 7 when imprinting the next shot region 7.

[0087] Therefore, when the resin 109' adhering in region 133 is exposed in the curing process during the imprinting of the next shot region 7, it will further cure while adhering to the surface of mold 107. And in the mold release process during the imprinting of shot region 8, it will be detached from mold 107 as shown in FIGS. 4(A) and (B) for example, and will be detected as a defect.

[0088] Therefore, in the imprinting method of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(C), the imprinting order is determined. That is, for example, the imprinting order is determined such that the next shot region after imprinting the missing shot region 6 is shot region 7 which has a shape including the peripheral part of the substrate of the missing shot region 6 and has a larger area than the missing shot region 6.

[0089] In the case of Fig. 5(C), the imprint order is determined such that the next shot area 7, which imprints the shot area 6 that is the chipped shot area, is a non-chipped shot area (a shot area that is not a chipped shot area). However, even if the next shot area 7 after the chipped shot area 6 does not become a complete non-chipped shot area, it is sufficient that the peripheral portion of the substrate of the chipped shot area 6 exists within the imprint area of the next shot area 7.

[0090] That is, when imprinting on the shot area of the peripheral portion of the substrate with a mold, the mold may be moved to the next shot area so that the portion of the mold facing the peripheral portion faces inside the peripheral portion of the substrate when imprinting the next shot area. Then, the control unit 106 may relatively move the mold or the substrate as such based on the computer program stored in the memory.

[0091] In addition, if the region 133 still exists even when the imprint order is changed, it is desirable for the control unit 106 to determine the imprint order based on the computer program stored in the memory so that the region 133 is minimized. Alternatively, the layout of the shot area may be changed. Even in such a case, the occurrence of defects can be suppressed.

[0092] When patterning by photolithography using light or the like, the shot area layout may be changed to a layout that allows for more patterning and such that the region 133 does not exist (or can be minimized).

[0093] Fig. 6(A) is a diagram showing an example of a conventional shot area layout, and (B) is a diagram showing an example of a change in the shot area layout in the imprinting method according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 6(B), for the conventional shot area layout of Fig. 6(A), the shot area layout may be changed, for example, by shifting the center coordinates of the substrate.

[0094] That is, by shifting the center coordinates of the substrate and controlling the imprinting order as shown in FIG. 6(B), it is also possible to reduce the area 133 in FIG. 5(B). Note that the direction and amount of shifting the center coordinates of the substrate are not limited to the example in FIG. 6(B).

[0095] The shot area layout of the substrate as shown in FIG. 6(B) is determined in advance by a computer program of the control unit 106. Further, the control unit 106 determines an optimal imprinting order according to the shot area layout of the substrate.

[0096] By doing so, when imprinting on the shot area of the peripheral part of the substrate, the part of the mold facing the peripheral part can be moved to the next shot area so as to face the inside of the peripheral part of the substrate when imprinting on the next shot area. That is, the area 133 can be minimized by the combination of the shot area layout of the substrate and the imprinting order.

[0097] Further, the size of the shot area may be changed. For example, a plurality of shot areas may be combined into one shot area, and the shot area size of the pattern part 107a formed on the mold 107 may be changed with respect to the shot area size in the pretreatment (undercoat treatment).

[0098] For example, the pattern part 107a formed on the mold 107 may be changed so that four shot areas in the pretreatment (undercoat treatment) become one shot area. Thereby, the imprinting order may be determined so that the area 133 is minimized according to the changed shot area size.

[0099] Further, in order not to further cure the resin 109', for example, when imprinting the next shot area 7 after the defective shot area 6, the atmosphere in the curing process may be an atmosphere that inhibits the curing of the resin 109', for example, an atmosphere containing oxygen.

[0100] That is, for example, when imprinting the next shot area 7 after the missing shot area 6, in the step of curing the resin, it is preferable to create an atmosphere that inhibits the curing of the resin near the peripheral portion by supplying a gas containing oxygen near the peripheral portion. By making the atmosphere contain oxygen, the resin 109' adhering to the mold 107 becomes difficult to cure, so that defects caused by the resin 109' can be reduced.

[0101] In addition, for example, in the curing step of the shot area 7 next to the missing shot area 6, the control unit 106 may reduce the spraying amount or concentration of the substitution gas such as helium compared to the spraying amount and concentration of the substitution gas in the curing step of the missing shot area 6.

[0102] As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce defects that occur when imprinting the peripheral portion of the substrate 110.

[0103] <Embodiment 2> Next, an imprint apparatus and an imprint method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. This embodiment basically inherits the first embodiment, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0104] In the first embodiment, for the purpose of improving productivity, the case of an imprint method in which the resin 109 is applied to a plurality of regions at once and then imprinting, curing, and demolding are continuously performed has been described. In the second embodiment, the case of an imprint method in which the resin 109 is applied to each shot area and imprinting, curing, and demolding are performed will be described.

[0105] FIGS. 7(A) and 7(B) are diagrams for explaining an example of the imprint order in the imprint method according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 7(A) is a diagram showing an example of the conventional imprint order. FIG. 7(B) is a diagram showing an example of the imprint order in the imprint method according to the second embodiment.

[0106] The numbers described in each region of the substrate 110 correspond to the imprinting order, and are described only on the lower side of the substrate 110. In the conventional imprinting order shown in FIG. 7(A), for example, imprinting is performed in order from the lower left to the right, and finally the upper right region is imprinted to process the substrate 110.

[0107] In such an order, for example, when the missing shot region 6 is imprinted and then the missing shot region 7 is imprinted next. Therefore, as described in Embodiment 1, for example, the resin 109' attached to the mold 107 in the missing shot region 6 may become the region 133 outside the imprinting region of the next shot region 7.

[0108] Therefore, in Embodiment 2, the imprinting order is determined as shown in FIG. 7(B). That is, for example, the imprinting order is determined such that the next shot region 7 after imprinting the missing shot region 6 is a shot region having a shape including the peripheral portion of the substrate of the missing shot region 6 and larger than the area of the missing shot region 6.

[0109] For example, in FIG. 7(B), the imprinting order is determined such that the next shot region of the missing shot region is a non-missing shot region.

[0110] In addition, in order not to further cure the resin 109', when imprinting the missing shot region 6, in the curing process of curing the resin, a gas containing oxygen may be supplied in the vicinity of the peripheral portion to create an atmosphere that inhibits the curing of the resin 109'.

[0111] That is, the control unit may create an atmosphere that inhibits the curing of the resin in the vicinity of the peripheral portion by supplying a gas containing oxygen in the vicinity of the peripheral portion in the process of curing the resin when imprinting the missing shot region 6 (the shot region of the peripheral portion of the substrate).

[0112] By setting the atmosphere to oxygen, the resin 109' adhering to the mold 107 becomes difficult to cure, so that defects caused by the resin 109' can be reduced.

[0113] As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to reduce defects generated when imprinting the peripheral portion of the substrate 110. Note that the first embodiment and the second embodiment may be appropriately combined.

[0114] (Method for manufacturing an article) The pattern of the cured product formed using the imprint apparatus and the imprint method of the above embodiment is used permanently for at least a part of various articles, or temporarily when manufacturing various articles. The article is an electric circuit element, an optical element, MEMS, a recording element, a sensor, or a mold or the like.

[0115] Examples of the electric circuit element include a volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memory such as DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, and MRAM, and semiconductor elements such as LSI, CCD, image sensor, and FPGA. Examples of the mold include an imprint mold and the like.

[0116] The pattern of the cured product is used as it is as a constituent member of at least a part of the above article, or is temporarily used as a resist mask. After etching or ion implantation or the like is performed in the substrate processing step, the resist mask is removed.

[0117] Next, a specific method for manufacturing an article will be described. FIGS. 8(A) to (F) are schematic diagrams for explaining an example of a method for manufacturing an article. As shown in FIG. 8(A), a substrate 1z such as a silicon wafer having a workpiece 2z such as an insulator formed on its surface is prepared, and then an imprint material 3z is applied to the surface of the workpiece 2z by an inkjet method or the like. Here, a state in which a plurality of droplet-shaped imprint materials 3z are applied on the substrate is shown.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 8(B), an imprint mold 4z is opposed to the imprint material 3z on the substrate with the side having the concavo-convex pattern facing the imprint material 3z on the substrate. As shown in FIG. 8(C), the substrate 1z with the imprint material 3z applied and the mold 4z are brought into contact with each other and pressure is applied. The imprint material 3z is filled in the gap between the mold 4z and the workpiece 2z. When light is irradiated through the mold 4z as energy for curing in this state, the imprint material 3z cures.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 8(D), after curing the imprint material 3z, when the mold 4z and the substrate 1z are separated, a pattern of the cured product of the imprint material 3z is formed on the substrate 1z. The pattern of this cured product has a shape in which the concave portion of the mold corresponds to the convex portion of the cured product, that is, the concavo-convex pattern of the mold 4z is transferred to the imprint material 3z.

[0120] After forming a resin pattern on the substrate by an imprint process as shown in FIGS. 8(A) to 8(D), as shown in FIG. 8(E), etching is performed using the pattern of the cured product as an etching mask. Then, among the surfaces of the workpiece 2z, the portions where no cured product remains or where a thin cured product remains are removed, resulting in grooves 5z.

[0121] As shown in FIG. 8(F), when the pattern of the cured product is removed, an article having grooves 5z formed on the surface of the workpiece 2z can be obtained. Here, FIGS. 8(E) and 8(F) are examples of the process of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the imprint process. Incidentally, although the pattern of the cured product is removed here, it may not be removed after processing and may be used, for example, as a film for interlayer insulation included in a semiconductor element or the like, that is, as a constituent member of the article.

[0122] Incidentally, although an example in which a mold for transferring a circuit pattern provided with a concavo-convex pattern is used as the mold 4z has been described, a mold (blank template) having a flat portion without a concavo-convex pattern may also be used.

[0123] The blank template is used in a flattening device (molding device) that performs a flattening process (molding process) of molding so as to flatten the composition on the substrate by the flat portion. The flattening process includes a step of curing the composition by irradiating light or by heating in a state where the flat portion of the blank template is in contact with the composition supplied on the substrate.

[0124] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. Also, various modifications and combinations of the above embodiments are possible based on the gist of the present invention.

[0125] As an example of the molding device, an imprint device that molds an imprint material on a substrate using a mold to perform pattern molding on the substrate has been described, but it is not limited to the imprint device.

[0126] As an example of the molding device, a flattening device that performs a flattening process (molding process) of molding so as to flatten the composition on the substrate using a mold (blank template) having a flat portion without a concavo-convex pattern as the mold may be used.

[0127] In Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, an imprint method and an imprint device using a photocuring method have been described. However, even if the step of irradiating light for curing is changed to a step by a thermosetting method of applying heat for curing, the actions and effects of the present invention are exactly the same. That is, the present invention is applicable in the thermosetting method. Note that the present invention includes the following combinations.

[0128] (Configuration 1) In an imprint apparatus that forms a pattern by bringing a resin applied to a substrate into contact with a mold having a pattern and curing the resin, when imprinting is performed on a shot area of a peripheral portion of the substrate by the mold, a portion of the mold facing the peripheral portion is moved to the next shot area so as to face inside the peripheral portion of the substrate when imprinting the next shot area. The imprint apparatus is characterized by having a control unit.

[0129] (Configuration 2) The control unit determines an imprint order. The imprint apparatus according to Configuration 1 is characterized by this.

[0130] (Configuration 3) The control unit determines a shot area layout of the substrate. The imprint apparatus according to Configuration 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

[0131] (Configuration 4) The control unit determines an imprint order according to the shot area layout. The imprint apparatus according to Configuration 3 is characterized by this.

[0132] (Configuration 5) In the step of curing the resin, when imprinting the shot area of the peripheral portion or when imprinting the next shot area, the control unit makes the atmosphere inhibit the curing of the resin in the vicinity of the peripheral portion. The imprint apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4 is characterized by this.

[0133] (Configuration 6) In the step of curing the resin, when imprinting the shot area of the peripheral portion or when imprinting the next shot area, the control unit supplies a gas containing oxygen to the vicinity of the peripheral portion. The imprint apparatus according to Configuration 5 is characterized by this.

[0134] (Method 1) In an imprint method of forming a pattern by bringing a resin applied to a substrate into contact with a mold having a pattern and curing the resin, when imprinting is performed on a shot region of a peripheral portion of the substrate by the mold, the portion of the mold facing the peripheral portion is moved to the next shot region so as to face inside the peripheral portion of the substrate when imprinting the next shot region. The imprint method is characterized by this.

[0135] (Method 2) An imprint step of forming the pattern of the resin on the substrate using the imprint apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 6, and a step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the imprint step. A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by including these steps.

[0136] In addition, in order to realize part or all of the control in the above embodiment, a computer program for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment may be supplied to an imprint apparatus or the like via a network or various storage media. Then, a computer (or a CPU, MPU, etc.) in the imprint apparatus or the like may read and execute the program. In that case, the program and the storage medium storing the program will constitute the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0137] 100: Imprint apparatus 104: Substrate stage 107: Mold 107a: Pattern portion 109: Resin 110: Substrate 131: Chipped shot region

Claims

1. 1. An imprint apparatus for forming a pattern by contacting a resin applied to a substrate with a mold having a pattern and curing the resin, comprising: An imprinting apparatus characterized by having a control unit that moves the mold to a next shot area so that a portion of the mold that faces the peripheral portion when the mold is used to imprint in the shot area on the periphery of the substrate faces more inward than the peripheral portion of the substrate when the next shot area is imprinted.

2. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines an imprint order.

3. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines a layout of shot areas on the substrate.

4. The imprint apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit determines an imprint order in accordance with the shot area layout.

5. The imprint apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit, during the process of hardening the resin when imprinting the shot area of ​​the peripheral portion or when imprinting the next shot area, creates an atmosphere that inhibits hardening of the resin in the vicinity of the peripheral portion.

6. The imprint apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the control unit supplies a gas containing oxygen to the vicinity of the peripheral portion during the process of hardening the resin when imprinting the shot area of ​​the peripheral portion or when imprinting the next shot area.

7. 1. An imprinting method for forming a pattern by contacting a resin applied to a substrate with a mold having a pattern and curing the resin, comprising: An imprinting method, comprising: moving the mold to a next shot area so that a portion of the mold that faces the peripheral portion when imprinting the shot area on the periphery of the substrate with the mold faces a portion more inward than the peripheral portion of the substrate when imprinting the next shot area.

8. an imprinting step of forming the pattern of the resin on the substrate using the imprinting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6; processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the imprint process; A method for producing an article, comprising:

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